Fifth wheel assemblies for attaching a trailer to a towing vehicle are known in which a kingpin located on the front of the trailer is coupled to the fifth wheel assembly located on the back of the towing vehicle. The fifth wheel assembly allows the trailer to pivot about a yaw axis.
During travel over rough terrain (e.g., off-roads, uneven roads), however, the rough terrain may cause the trailer to roll from side to side, which can lead to unstable handling of the towing vehicle and the trailer. Rolling motion of the trailer is particularly problematic when the center of gravity of the trailer is high compared to the center of gravity of the towing vehicle. The inventor has recognized that known fifth wheel assemblies do not adequately address the problems associated with off-road towing or travel over uneven roads—i.e., known fifth wheel assemblies do not adequately control roll motion of an attached trailer. Therefore, a need exists for an improved fifth wheel assembly that controls roll motion of a trailer, which may improve handling in off-road driving conditions or during travel over uneven roads. A need also exists for an improved fifth wheel assembly for towing trailers with high centers of gravity.